Ifediora Elochukwu is the 2015 best graduating student of Federal University Of Technology Owerri, Imo State. He graduated from the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, bagging first class honour.
1 Tell us about yourself?
I’m called Ifediora Elochukwu Christian, my friends prefer to call me Fedy Zero. I hail from Umuanugo Ifitedunu town in Dunukofia LGA in Anambra State, Nigeria. I grew up in an upper middle class family; my Father, Late Nze Samuel Ifediora Osakwe was a businessman and my mother, Mrs Ngozi Ifediora Osakwe, a Lecturer. I did had a lovely childhood, being the last child in a family of five (3 boys and 2 girls) and as we have as a norm, the last is always pampered and my case wasn’t different. I had my early education in All Saints’ Nursery School Abayi, Aba, St. Bridget Primary School Abayi, Aba and graduated with signs of a brighter future. I gained admission in one of the newly found unity colleges (then), Federal Government College, Ohafia Abia State; and thanks to God for the scholarship awards, numerous academic awards I obtained and wonderful records I left behind. These schools really forged me. I miraculously escaped being a jambite because I gained admission immediately into one of the prestigious universities in Nigeria, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, where together with the support of the MTN Foundation Scholarship, I graduated as the Best Graduating Student 2015 of the university from the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. During my course of study as an undergraduate, it was a great pleasure to have worked with the largest television network in Africa, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Aba Abia State and the ever dynamically growing distribution company, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Marina Lagos.
1 How was growing up?
Growing up in a neighborhood full of kids and fun, made me recognize my career path. I made carton cars, played a lot with bottle corks, rubber bands, batteries, torchlight bulbs, small electric motor (we preferred to call fan then) and scraps of electronics. I can vividly remember we (I and my siblings) had a fictitious company we dubbed MOTOLEE and together with other kids and their companies we created a kind of a virtual society where signed-paper money was used for commerce. We engaged in this usually during holiday. As I grew older my hobbies change as expected to, playing football, video games and table tennis. Though I still enjoy some of those hobbies but now, in addition I enjoy reading books, programming, hanging out with friends and travelling.3
What did you study and what inspired your choice of discipline? How many years course was it?
I studied Electrical and Electronic Engineering and I choose the discipline because that’s where my passion lies. It’s a 5-year course in my university. Right from my childhood to teen I preferred mathematics, technical subjects including physics, fiddled with toys and scrap electronics and admired computers when they were introduced to me (though I was intimidated by it for a while then).
When did you get admission and what was it like to prepare for jamb and aptitude test? What was your scores?
I gained admission in 2010 with a UTME score of 263 and a post UTME score of 200. It was intellect and energy provoking while preparing for both examinations. Apart from the books I read to prepare for the exams, I also evaluated my preparation using past questions often without hesitation to time myself during the exercises always.
What was your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) before or when you got to school? Did you decide what you want to come out with before or when you got to school?
When I resumed school, I was determined together with my friend (who later left to study in the US) to leave indelible marks in FUTO. What those marks were I don’t know but wonderful academics performance was not out of the question. But by the end of my 200 level after a sincere self appraisal, I realized what those marks were and one of them was to graduate as the best in my set. With God, I followed them through sincere efforts and actions not knowing that I’m going to prove to myself that “Impossible is Nothing”. (Lk 1:37).
Sincerely, the acronyms SMART and BHAG were unknown to me then though I instinctively used them and they took the nature of the ideas I read in some books especially ADGC Employability and Enterprise Training Manual adopted for the MTN Foundation Science & Technology Scholarship Scheme.
What role did focus play in your life?
Inasmuch as my spirit was willing but my body weak, the focus to finish as I desired was hunting me and it kept me recollected occasionally.
How did diligence, perseverance and determination play out in your life?
‘A diligent child’ was the remark of my class teacher in my primary school’s testimonial and thanks to my mother who very early ingrained that in me not only in my studies but in all I do. Diligence, perseverance and determination have always kept me going even when the going got tougher. Through them, I have made tremendous achievements in my life.
Tell us about your study culture/habit and time?
As there is time for everything, while in school, I fail not to study each day no matter how small the time may be. I study on an average of 6 hours. I also make good use of my holidays. Apart from chasing my passion through industrial Attachments and personal development during holidays, I at least prepares for a course or two for the next semester.
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What role did friends play in your life?
Friends were really helpful to me right from my cradle to graduate and always. Their role in my life cannot be overemphasized; too numerous to mention that I can’t elucidate all I’ve learnt from them.
Did your lecturer(s) play any specific and significant role in your career? Please tell us about them?
Yes, don’t even know who not to mention. My Course Adviser, Engr. Dr. Matthew Olubiwe, who sternly warned me not to make 70s as scores but 80s and 90s, My Supervisor, Engr. Dr. Gordon Onuniwu, who inspired me to take a challenging project with promising future, Engr Dr. Uchenna Diala who encouraged my passion through his teaching, advice and accolades, and many others.
Did your family play any great role in your pursuit? What role did they play?
Haha!, my family has always being my last line of defense and the role they played I can’t exhaustively say.
Did you keep many friends? If yes, why? If no, why not?
Yes, because I believed that could widen my network for a brighter future.
Were you engage in any extracurricular activities? How did you manage them with your academics?
Yes, they were three major activities: attending society meetings (Lay Readers’ Association (LRA) STACC FUTO, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) FUTO SB, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), passive member), surfing the net for news and others like going to the gym, swimming, attending seminars, conferences and workshops, and chatting on social media were occasional. I had a working time table for those activities that were recurrent, thus I had them under control.
Tell us about your most challenging moment(s)?
I have had lots of challenging moments but what I experienced in my final year made me consider others as nothing. I was actively engaged in the following LRA STACC FUTO, served as a Student Advisor in IEEE FUTO SB, Treasurer in our Year Book Committee, One of the planners and executioner in the NFCS Federation Week, and due to my academic status and practical experiences, the head in my final year project team. All these I took part in not including my studies, assignments, friends I attend to and other extra curricula activities. It was really challenging.
Tell us about your scholarship? How many were they? How did you get to know about them? How did you study for them? How did you know that you have secured them? How did you sustain them?
I had only one annual scholarship award, the MTN Foundation Scholarship Award with two other awards I received as the best in my department from one of our alumni in 300 and 500 levels. I got to know about MTNF scholarship through my brother Engr. Ugochukwu and their publicity through flash message I received on *556# dial on my mobile phone. MTN Foundation sent me both a text and an email on my success for every stage from application to disbursement. I sustained it by keeping to the conditions attached to the award which one of them was to maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.5.What was your greatest/ ‘No-go-area’-principle? Something you didn’t compromise with anybody?
Honesty.
Did you use the school library?
Yes I used the school library in various ways ranging from personal development to research and design of both personal and school projects.
What other tools, channels or media did you use to study, research and prepare for exams?
Of course the Internet provided me with go leads in my studies through open and free publications, my IEEE account, Spectrum and tech alert, and also Youtube were very resourceful.
Tell us about the competitions you were involved in? How many were they? How was the whole experience for you?
I have participated in many competitions that I may have forgotten some but I would mention only two; the Olympiad 2010 where I took 4th place representing FGC Ohafia in the state level in Physics and the IEEE Nigeria Robotics Competition 2015 where the team (team of three) I lead took 2nd place representing our university, FUTO. They were really challenging and thought-provoking.
What can you say about Team Work?
Team work is a great attribute that cannot be overlooked in the pursuit of greatness in life. Nobody knows or can do it all. When I embraced team work, I learnt how to delegate works, work with people of different temperament and yet succeed in diversity. And its relevance is evident in my outstanding final year project and my team’s success in the IEEE Nigeria Robotics Competition 2015.
What was your greatest achievement/success?
My greatest success as a graduate student is being the best graduating student of my university with a CGPA of 4.80, I couldn’t have ask God for more, and I’m really grateful to Him.Tell us about your standard of living. Did you have everything you wanted/needed while you were in school? If not, tell us how you maneuvered the challenge?
Yes I had every basic thing I needed rather than wanted because my mum never allowed me lack a thing. My life would have taken a different story when my mum as a single parent was disengaged from her work. But on the verge of depression, God intervened through MTN Foundation scholarship before she regained her work as a Lecturer, 2years later.
Did you have any emotional/health issue? If yes, tell us what it was and how you overcame?
I occasionally suffered from malaria, typhoid and hepatitis which I believe where environmental reactions that I’m not familiar with. As for emotional issues I did suffer a lot, especially when I lost my sister while I was about to writing my first semester final year examinations; but His grace has always led me.
Did you have a girl friend? If yes, what role did she play in your life? If No, why didn’t you?
Haha! No, because I don’t have a luxury of intimacy.
What was the greatest advice you ever received while in school?
The greatest advice I ever received while in school was getting a copy of a book titled ‘My Imitation of Christ’ and practicing what is therein.
Did you have anybody who you looked up to? Tell us how it sharpened your pursuit what you liked about them?
Sometimes I wonder why I was born into that family “The Ifediorammas” cos all the supports and motivations I needed from cradle to graduate have never eluded me. My siblings Engr Ugochukwu, Barr Chijioke, Mrs Ifeoma and Mrs (Late) Nnenna made me to understand that I can be anything I want to. I admired their love in reading voraciously which I followed suit.
Also, I admired a lot of my senior colleagues: Chinedu, Chukwuma, Kingsley, Moses, Oliver and Chigozie. Each played a specific role in sharpening my pursuit both spiritually, academically, socially and otherwise. I’m very grateful for their looking out for me.
Tell us about your SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) while you were in school? In other words: What were your capabilities/abilities/strength like and how did it play out in your career? What made you weak or tries to draw you back and how did you manage them? What were your opportunities like and how did you maximize them? What threatened you and how did you overcome them?
My strengths were in the network of good friends I made together with my instinct and intellect. My weakness was not knowing how to delegate works because I preferred doing things my way but not until I realized that to exercise more impact, I have to learn how to lead through proper delegation which I’m happy I was bent to learn through the offices I held. The environment threatened my success through occasional illness. Leading in my class has always attracted scholarships and opportunities such as short listing in IT placement exams in industries like Shell SPDC Nigeria, Schlumbeger and many others.Tell us about your BHAG in life? What do you want to become in life?
I have dreamt dreams, I have always given my past a long thought and I have a long list of things I want to be but only one thing gives me peace of mind and always kept me going whenever I remember it and that is to be a philanthropist. I love my continent and the journey begins there.
What do you think is responsible for many students to finish as average or below average?
A lot of things could be responsible depending on the person’s background. As Ben Carson rightly said, “When you educate a man, you liberate the man” and from my own point of view it is very necessary to give a child the best education one can afford as a parent and guiding the child through informal education especially at his formative age (say 1 to 15).
What did you believe while you were in school? Did your belief help you?
I solely believed in Generosity. And by generosity, I don’t exclude ‘in kind’. It really helped me in all my endeavours that I can’t exhaustively explain. Indeed, “A generous man shall prosper he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Prov 11:25)
What advice would you give anyone that would want to finish better?
Love God.
Any other thing you wish to tell us?
I want to further my education as soon as possible. And I’m currently working to bring to reality a lot of ideas I have nursed and nurtured for my country and the continent at large through my extensive research in the field of electrical engineering especially in energy management and smart metering.
With heartfelt gratitude, I want to thank MTN Foundation for believing in me, looking out for me, and investing in building my future. You are yet to see more of me.
With heartfelt gratitude, I want to thank MTN Foundation for believing in me, looking out for me, and investing in building my future. You are yet to see more of me.
May I use this medium to thank the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Dr. Owelle Rochas Okorocha for his wonderful kind gesture in giving me a cash sum of N200, 000 and an awaiting employment after my youth service.
I’m looking forward to hearing from the incumbent Governor of Anambra state, His Excellency, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano in anticipation of awards given to indigenous first class graduates as I believe his administration could do more than the past; and from many others who’s taste for academic excellence is unquenchable, to support me in my dreams.
I also believe undoubtedly that the administration of President Muhammed Buhari would not only uphold but in addition, create more rooms to foster academic excellence through the PRESSID Program and other means.
I want to acknowledge in a very special way the following individuals for their benevolent and unflinching support in my life.
My parents, siblings, friends too numerous to mention, my Uncles, Barr. Vincent Osakwe , Mr Jerry Chinweze and Dr Obi Dibezua; Chukwuma Okoye, Engr Paul Nwafor and of course, my true Shepherd God, The Almighty. I’m indebted to you all. Thank you.
Interviewed: 11th January, 2016.
Interviewed: 11th January, 2016.
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